Trusting God in Times of Need and Challenge

This is the day the Lord has made, and we gather with grateful hearts, recognizing His faithfulness in every season. As we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and testimonies of healing, we are reminded that every blessing and every breath is a gift from God. Even as we face challenges—like waiting for repairs, health concerns, or the burdens of daily life—we are called to remember that God is our provider, sustainer, and the One who cares for us better than we could ever care for ourselves.

Turning to Exodus 17, we see the Israelites in a place of real need: no water in the desert. Their thirst was legitimate, and their fear understandable. Yet, instead of turning to God, they quarreled with Moses and lost sight of all the miracles God had already performed for them. It’s easy to judge them, but how often do we do the same? When discomfort or crisis comes, we focus so narrowly on the problem that we forget God’s past faithfulness and present power.

Moses, feeling the weight of the people’s complaints, did the right thing—he cried out to God. God responded not only by providing water from a rock, but by doing so in a way that made it clear only He could receive the glory. Sometimes God leads us into places of lack or discomfort, not to harm us, but to deepen our trust and remind us that He alone is our source. Our tendency is to blame circumstances, others, or even the enemy, but sometimes God Himself leads us into these places to show us His sufficiency.

Romans 8 reminds us that in all things—good or bad—God is working for our good. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from His love, not hardship, not loss, not uncertainty. We are more than conquerors through Christ, and He is always interceding for us. Our challenge is to remember, even in the midst of trials, that God will make a way. Our focus must remain on Him, not on the obstacles before us. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask or think.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God sometimes leads us into places of discomfort or lack—not as punishment, but as an invitation to trust Him more deeply. The Israelites were led by God into a desert with no water, a place of real need, so that they might learn to depend on Him rather than their own understanding or resources. Our own seasons of waiting or want are often opportunities for God to reveal His sufficiency in unexpected ways. [25:31]
• 2. Focusing solely on our problems can blind us to God’s presence and past faithfulness. The Israelites, despite witnessing miracles like the parting of the Red Sea and daily manna, quickly forgot God’s provision when faced with a new challenge. We, too, are prone to “biblical amnesia,” forgetting how God has sustained us in the past when a new trial arises. Cultivating gratitude and remembrance is essential to maintaining faith in the present. [26:08]
• 3. When overwhelmed, the right response is to cry out to God, not to fixate on human solutions or blame others. Moses, under pressure from the people, turned to God in prayer rather than trying to solve the crisis himself. God’s answer was both practical and miraculous, reminding us that divine solutions often surpass our expectations and understanding. [21:52]
• 4. God’s provision often comes in ways that make it clear He alone deserves the glory. Water from a rock is not a natural solution, but a supernatural one, orchestrated so that no one could credit anyone but God. In our own lives, God sometimes answers prayers in ways that defy logic, so that our faith and testimony point unmistakably to Him. [24:20]
• 5. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus—not hardship, not loss, not even our own doubts. Romans 8 assures us that God is always working for our good, and that we are more than conquerors through Him. Our security is not in our circumstances, but in the unbreakable bond of God’s love and Christ’s intercession on our behalf. [31:10]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:38] - Updates on Sanctuary and Announcements
• [01:18] - Celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries
• [02:29] - Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
• [04:35] - Opening Prayer of Thanksgiving
• [09:16] - Offering and Giving Options
• [12:08] - Introduction to New Series: God Will Make a Way
• [12:53] - Scripture Reading: Exodus 17
• [14:11] - Life’s Waiting Rooms and Endurance
• [16:06] - The Israelites’ Legitimate Need and Response
• [18:00] - Forgetting God’s Past Faithfulness
• [20:01] - Focusing on Problems vs. God’s Presence
• [21:52] - Moses’ Prayer and God’s Instruction
• [23:08] - God’s Miraculous Provision from the Rock
• [24:55] - The Deeper Question: Is the Lord Among Us?
• [27:26] - Encouragement from Romans 8
• [33:04] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Reading

Exodus 17:1-7 (ESV) — 1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Romans 8:28, 31-39 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
...
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Observation Questions

1. What was the Israelites’ main complaint in Exodus 17, and how did they express it to Moses? ([16:06])
2. How did Moses respond to the people’s complaints, and what did he do next? ([21:52])
3. What specific instructions did God give Moses to solve the problem, and what was the outcome? ([23:08])
4. According to Romans 8, what does Paul say about God’s love and our circumstances? ([31:10])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think God led the Israelites to a place where there was no water? What might God have wanted them to learn in that situation? ([25:31])
2. The Israelites had seen miracles before, but still doubted God’s care. Why is it so easy to forget God’s past faithfulness when a new problem comes up? ([26:08])
3. Moses chose to cry out to God instead of trying to fix the problem himself or blaming others. What does this teach us about handling overwhelming situations? ([21:52])
4. Romans 8 says nothing can separate us from God’s love. How does this truth change the way we view our struggles and disappointments? ([31:10])

Application Questions

1. Think about a time when you felt like you were in a “desert”—a place of lack or discomfort. Did you see it as an opportunity to trust God more deeply, or did you focus on the problem? How might you respond differently next time? ([25:31])
2. The sermon talked about “biblical amnesia”—forgetting God’s past faithfulness when a new challenge comes. What are some practical ways you can remind yourself of God’s goodness when you face a new trial? ([26:08])
3. When you feel overwhelmed, do you tend to try to fix things yourself, blame others, or turn to God in prayer? What would it look like for you to make prayer your first response this week? ([21:52])
4. Has God ever provided for you in a way that was unexpected or clearly only something He could do? How did that experience affect your faith? ([24:20])
5. Romans 8 says we are “more than conquerors” and that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Is there a situation in your life right now where you need to remember this truth? How can you hold onto it this week? ([31:10])
6. The Israelites blamed Moses and their circumstances for their problems. Are there areas in your life where you are blaming others or your situation instead of seeking God’s help? What would it look like to shift your focus? ([19:20])
7. The sermon mentioned that sometimes God leads us into hard places not to punish us, but to invite us to trust Him more. Is there a current challenge where you sense God is inviting you to deeper trust? What step of faith could you take in response? ([25:31])